Field Trip: Garden in the Woods

Sarracenia leucophylla hybrid

Last fall, as the plants in New England began to prepare for what would become an incredibly long winter nap, I visited Garden in the Woods, the New England Wildflower Society's own botanical gardens. While there, I was surprised to see some carnivores!

Mix of Sarracenia

Most of their plants were clustered together in a display fittingly called "pitcher plants." They had a nice mix of things (though most looked like they needed a tad more sunlight than the heavily wooded area allowed).

Sarracenia purpurea

Prominently featured was a display of Sarracenia purpurea. Undoubtedly, the New England Wildflower Society wanted to showcase native plants, and this was a great way to do so for people from the Boston suburbs.

Saracenia leucophylla

A few gulf coasters made it into the display as well. Notably, S. leucophylla (above) and S. flava (below). I was very pleased to see these on display. It was odd, however, to see them in a forest setting, where, in the wild, they would likely be in a more open savanna, or, at least, a boggier area, not scattered about a forest floor.

Sarracenia flava

One of the neat things about Garden in the Woods is that the onsite nursery sells many of the plants you will see there, including Sarracenia, but I do want to note that it is expensive to visit compared to the size of the facility. If, however, you are in or around Boston with nothing to do on a weekend and you want to see some carnivores in an easily accessible location, I would recommend Garden in the Woods.